Coupling for steam-pipes



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

- H. & G. KNAUB.

COUPLING FOR STEAM PIPES. No. 378,932. Patented Mar. 6,1888.

lllmlllm mue/wto oo I el) 2 Sheets-Shet 2.

H. 8v G. KNAUB.

COUPLING FOR STEAM PIPES. No 378,932. Patented Mar. 6, 1888.

qwif naom.

M I w {7 N PETERSv Pholo-Lilhagnpher. nnnnnnnnnnnn C,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY KNAUB, OF NORK, AND GEORGE KNAUB, OF SPRING GARDEN, PENNSYLVANIA.

COUPLING FOR STEAM-PIPES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 378,932,.dated March 6,1888.

Application filed May 14, 1887. Serial No. 238,210. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, HENRY KNAUB, a citizen of the United States,residing at York, in the county of York, in the State of Pennsylvania,and GEORGE KNAUB, a citizen of the United States, residing atSpringGarden township, in the county of York and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented a certain new and usefnllmprovement in CouplingsforSteam-Pipes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

The object of this invention is to provide means for connecting betweenthe cars steampipes used in steam-heating apparatus for railway-cars,though the invention is equally applicable for other heating agent usedfor this purpose, and is generally applicable as a coupling for pipeswhere it is desired to periodically or occasionally connect anddisconnect the pipes at intervals in their length.

For the sake of .conciseness the invention will be described as appliedto a system of steam-heating'for railway-cars where the pipes onadjacent cars are connected between adjacent ends of said cars.

The invention comprises male'and female coupling-heads provided withmeans for looking them together, which locking means assists in the actof their unlocking to disconnect the coupling-heads, the constructionand operation being substantially as hereinafter more particularly setforth and claimed In the accompanying drawings, in the several figuresof which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a plan of aconnected coupling, showing, also, one form of jointed pipe-connections.Fig. 2 is a side elevation, omitting the pipe-connections; and Fig. 3 isa longitudinal section, also omitting the pipeconnections, and showingthe coupling-heads separated as they will be by the act of unlocking.

Forthe sake of clearness it will be assumed that the coupling is to beapplied to a steamheating apparatus in which the steam-pipes passunderneath the platforms of the cars. The ends of the pipe of each carwill be supplied with suitably-jointed, and hence flexible, connections,herein shown as unions a and sections of pipe b and ordinary cocks orturningplugs, c, for closing the pipes when the car is disconnected.Opposite ends of the car will be supplied with male and femalecouplingheads d 6, respectively. The male head (I is by preference asquare or angular box having a tapering nozzle, f. Lugs 9 projectlaterally from the sides of the male head, and to these lugs are pivotedhooks h, which project beyond the end of the head on either sidethereof, and are connected by a bow-handle, 2', so as to be movedtogether, said bow-handle being rigid. The rear ends of these hooksproject beyond the lugs g, and are extended downwardly and below thesaid lugs, and to said projecting ends are pivoted the arms 7', whichlikewise extend beyond the face of the male head, and are supported inposition by means of loops is on the sides of the male head. Avent-cock, Z, is arranged in the upper part of the male head, and isprovided with a handle, Z, to operate the needle-valve in saidcock byrotation; For the sake of clearness it may be here said that thisvent-cock and its needlevalve are of ordinary construction; but in orderto make the description exact it may be said that the needle-valve has ascrew-threaded stem, Z which engages a screw'threaded opening in thevent-cock shell, and the handle Z is rigidly affixed to saidscrew-threaded stem at right angles thereto and projects forward toengage a spring-clip, i, on the bow-handle z, to close the valve whenthe coupling-heads are united, and by disconnecting said handle Z fromthe said clip and turning it backward a quarter-revolution theneedle-valve is raised from its seat to permit the escape of the fluidfrom the coupling and relieve the pressure in uncoupling the device.

It may as well be stated here that the object in providing the vent-cookneedle with the connection with the bow-handle i is to hold down saidbow-handle and its attached hooks h to lock the hooks in engagement withthe female head, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. We do not limit ourselves tothis precise form of vent-cock. The hooks h are provided with springs h,which are connected to the lugs g in such manner as to tend to throw upand disconnect the hooks When the bow-handle of said hooks'is releasedfrom engagement with the vent-cock needle Z, to thus assist indisconnecting the coupling-heads. The female head is likewise a squareor angular box, and is provided with a socket, in, to receive the nozzlefof the male head. On the sides are moved by raising the hooks h; hencewhen the hooks are raised and the coupling-heads brought togetherthe-abutments 0 will strike the ends of the arms j, and thereby causesaid arms to act upon the hooks hand throw down said hooks into positionto engage the lugs n on the female head 6, the further and effectualengagement of said hooks with said lugs being effected by manualpressure or a blow in a downward direction upon the bowhandlc i. Whenthe hooks are thus engaged with the lugs n, the vent-cock needle isturned around and made to engage with the spring-clip on the bow-handlet, to thus lock the hooks, and consequently lock the male and femaleheads together. To uncouple the heads the handle l is rotated aquarter-turn, so as to disconnect 1t from the spring-clip on thebow-handle, when the springs h are free to assist in throwing up thehooks h, and then by an upward pull on the bow-handle t the said hooksare disengaged from the lugs a, the arms are moved forward towardabutments 0, and, acting upon said abutments, force the female head awayfrom the male head, thus assisting in the uncoupling of the device.

It is preferred to provide a way or guide for the female coupling inconnecting it with the male coupling, and for this purpose the malecoupling may be provided in any suitable manner with a forwardly-projecting shelf, 1), extending from its lower surface. One form -of suchshelf, as herein shown, consists of a right-angled plate, 1), having asupportingbracket, f, both attached to the pipe-connection with the malehead. These parts 1) 1') may be conveniently made of spring-steel. Theymay be attached to the male head in any suitable manner, either thatshown or any other.

\Vhat we claim is 1. A pipe-coupling composed of a male and a femalehead, combined with hooks pivoted to the male head and engaging lugs onthe female head, and arms connected to the said hooks and projectingforwardly to engage the female head to assist in uncoupling the male andfemale heads, substantially as described.

2. A pipe-coupling comprising a male and a female head, hooks pivoted tothe male head and extending forwardly, lugs on the female head withwhich the hooks engage, arms connected to the hooks below the pivotalpoints of the latter and projecting forwardly, and abutments on thefemale head located at a point short of the throw of the said arms,substantially as described.

3. A pipe-coupling composed of a male and a female head, combined withhooks pivoted to the male head and engaging lugs on the female head,springs connected to the hooks and tending to elevate them, a lockingdevice to retain the hooks in engagement with the said lugs, and armsconnected to the said hooks and projecting forwardly to engage thefemale head to assist in uncoupling the male and female heads,substantially as set forth.

4. The male and female heads, the former provided with pivotal hooks andthe rigid bowhandle connecting them, and the latter provided with lugswith which the said hooks engage, a vent-cock having a rigid handle, anda spring-clip on the bow handle for connecting the handle andbow-handle, substantially as described.

5. A pipe-coupling composed of a male head having a tapering nozzle anda female head having a tapering socket to receive said nozzle, hookspivoted to the male head and engaging lugs on the female head, and armsconnected to the said hooks and projecting forwardly to engage thefemale head to assist in uncoupling the male and female heads, allcombined substantially as set forth.

6. In a pipe-coupling, a male and a female coupling-head, combined witha spring shelf or guide composed of the right-angled plate 12 and thesupporting-bracket 12, projecting forwardly from the male head to directthe female head in effecting the coupling of the two, and means forholding the two heads in connection, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands this 12th day ofMay, A. D. 1887.

HENRY KNAUB. GEORGE KNAUB.

lVitnesses:

M. L. EBERT, E. S. ORONE.

